The Story of the Men
by Adventurous Putty
Summary: KOTOR: Before the Jedi Civil War ravaged the galaxy, future historical figures would clash in the far more subtle Mandalorian Conflict. But what lay beyond the veil of actions? What were their motivations? What were their ambitions, their fears?
1. Prologue

**PROLOGUE**

"_The Old Republic has been remembered as a stagnant beast that was broken only by clever scheming and the massive conspiracy of a ruthless man. Yet the plot created by Emperor Palpatine and executed by his many pawns is not the only time the Old Republic had faced its destruction – in fact, the fact that the Republic lasted after the events of the Jedi Civil War of 3,959 BBY has been attributed to luck or fate by some historians._

"_Yet the mainstream agrees that, luck and fate aside, the events that happened more than 4,000 years ago were most directly influenced by powerful individuals whose fate was inexorably intertwined with that of the galaxy, and whose actions dictated the course of history for decades, even centuries, to follow._

"_Most notable among these figures is the mysterious Revan, remembered as both hero and savior by a galaxy he both built and destroyed. Though we can only speculate at his motives, he once took the mantle of Sith Lord and waged a massive war that laid waste to the infrastructure of the Republic. However, after being betrayed by his apprentice and successor, Darth Malak, he brought a swift end to the Jedi Civil War by destroying Malak and the Sith Fleet; subsequently, he disappeared from the galaxy and the annals of history. Some say he did this out of being converted back to the light, and others still say it was just a brutal act of Sith revenge. A few historians even say that he never truly "fell," but rather did whatever was necessary to make the Republic stronger, be it by waging wars with it or against it. Regardless, he is one of the grand mysteries of the War._

"_Yet even more mysterious is the story – practically a myth – of the Jedi Exile and his Lost Jedi, who survived the elusive First Jedi Purge and rebuilt the Jedi Order into a slightly more liberal and accepting structure than it was before the War. Though a shadowy figure who never started wars or held the galaxy by its throat, the Jedi Exile may well have been even more influential (in Jedi terms) than Revan himself, considering that he apparently brought about an end to the First Jedi Purge. Yet why would a man who was a former General of Revan during the Mandalorian Wars – a conflict that many believe led to the fall of Revan – want to help the Jedi that exiled him afterward? In fact, why wouldn't one of Revan's most important Generals follow his commander to the Dark Side? _

"_The fact is that the study of these ancient figures presents a problem, as the only thing we know about them were their actions, their achievements. But what of their motivations – what lay on the insides of the minds of these men who changed the face of our galaxy. The fact is that, unfortunately, we may never know; frankly, they may not have even known themselves."_

Cesar Methrand, New Republic Historian, circa 25 ABY.


	2. Retaliatory Response

**I: RETALIATORY RESPONSE**

"_And so it was in those days that the Mandalorian Scourge ripped through the Outer Rim, laying waste to entire civilizations and leaving only ashes and the shackles of slavery in its stead. For these were the times of Revan and the Mandalorian Wars, times of upheaval, times of rebellion, and times of retaliation."_

Journal of the Whills, 2:77

As he had expected, Revan awoke to the sound of a news bulletin update signal echoing throughout the vicinity of his small room; he had programmed the Holonet connection the Quartermaster had reluctantly allowed him to sound off at full volume if an update to the so-called "Cathar Crisis" was published. As it were, that time had come sooner than the drowsy Jedi Knight had expected.

After a brief yawn and stretch of the arms, Revan flipped through several of the available news reports and eventually selected one labeled "Exclusive Close Look at the Cathar Crisis." As it finished loading and began to play, Revan could see a stout Twi'lek woman standing by the window of what appeared to be a Republic capital cruiser. As she began, Revan suspected by the tone of her voice that the situation had gone from bad to worse.

He listened. "This is Aaylin Ortova reporting live from Republic capital cruiser _Brigadier_ with the latest news update on the Cathar Crisis," began the woman. "As viewers may already know, a Mandalorian fleet recently arrived on Cathar and began bombarding the planet's surface in preparation for a full-scale invasion of the planet. Republic Military Command has publicly stated that it cannot interfere with the battle, as Cathar is outside Republic territory."

"However, footage from the distress signals sent from the planet's surface have only just reached this broadcast network. This is the real footage of what may well be going on down on Cathar's surface."

As the screen faded, the Holonet news bulletin showed a video of the distress signal. It was on a seemingly desolate area of the planet – or, at least, Revan assumed that until he realized that in the backround of the video there was a strain of green on the horizon.

It was in the very middle of the blast zone of an orbital bomb.

As the video continued, Revan had trouble distinguishing etween the horrific screams of Cathar's inhabitants as they ran around trying to find shelter. Their dead lay spread out all over the killing field, beings of all ages so mutilated by the blast that they were barely recognizable. In the foreground, one male-looking local was seemingly yelling into the camera feed, though Revan couldn't make out his voice from all the backround noise. Not that he needed to in order to understand.

As abruptly as it began, the video feed stopped in a blinding flash of light, and the last thing Revan was able to see before it consumed the screen were the looks of terror of the faces of those innocents as they looked straight into the bowels of Death itself. It was as if their terrible expressions were frozen in time for a moment, and every part of Revan screamed for it to end.

As it did, Revan turned the screen off in disgust. He used a brief meditating technique he had learned to try and regain his composure. After his breathing steadied, he pulled himself out of the cot he had been resting in, at the same time putting on his cloak in one smooth motion.

Walking out of his humble quarters in the Jedi Temple of Coruscant and entering the far more expansive and elaborate hallways, Revan convinced himself that the time had come to stop waiting. The Republic was so outstretched in the defense of its own borders that it could not even protect the planets it had long been allied with. The time had come for Jedi intervention in the war effort, despite the wishes of the Council.

A part of Revan had been waiting for this moment his entire life. The reasonable half of him, of course, was filled with a perturbing feeling of dread.

Revan continued to quietly walk down the expansive hallway, this one in particular having a beautiful windowed view of the Coruscanti panorama, and, passing only a few rooms, swiftly reached that of his friend Malak. He knocked on the door – four times, a pause, two times, a pause, then the seventh knock, a code to preserve subtlety.

A tall young man, his head baldened and adorned in blue symbols that no doubt signified some particular lineage or another, answered the knock almost immediately after it was finished. He was just as awake as Revan, and nodded immediately when he saw his friend, saying nothing.

Revan was the one who broke the silence, his words carrying an ominous connotation to both of the young Jedi Knights. "You've heard the news, Malak. The time has come."

As Malak nodded, he stood aside to allow Revan entrance to his room. Nodding back, Revan did just that; they had no time to waste.

There would be much to plan tonight.


End file.
